St Kilda has kept alive its season and celebrated Robert Harvey's 350th game in style with a thrilling 23-point victory over West Coast at Subiaco Oval on Sunday.

The Saints appeared set for an easy victory when they led by 44 points early in the third term before the Eagles launched a spirited second-half comeback.

West Coast closed to within four points of the Saints during the final term before goals to Nick Dal Santo, Nick Riewoldt and Leigh Montagna in the dying minutes sealed the 15.9 (99) to 11.10 (76) win for the visitors.

Harvey, who at 35 is the oldest player in the competition, was instrumental with 30 possessions in his return from a hamstring injury, while Montagna was sensational with 31 touches and a goal.

Justin Koschitzke booted four first-half goals to set up the Saints' early advantage, while Dal Santo kicked two majors to go with his 26 disposals.

The Eagles sorely missed captain Chris Judd, who failed a late fitness test on his troublesome groin, but Daniel Kerr (27 touches), Dean Cox (22 touches, one goal) and Michael Braun lifted in his absence.

The win breaks St Kilda's four-game losing streak and keeps alive its finals aspirations, but the club, which is two wins and percentage outside of the eight with a 5-7 win-loss record, still has plenty of work to do in the remaining 10 rounds of the season.

West Coast, meanwhile, has lost two games on the trot and is joined on eight wins with Hawthorn and Collingwood - all of who are a game and percentage adrift of ladder-leader Geelong.

West Coast made a flying start to the match, registering five scoring shots from their first five inside 50s to race out to a 15-point lead before the Harvey and Koschitzke-led Saints reeled them back in.

Harvey finished the term with nine touches and Koschitzke slammed through two goals to close the margin to a single point at quarter-time.

The pair continued to dominate in the second term as the Saints took a stranglehold on the contest with a seven-goal-to-one stanza, entering the long break with a commanding 37-point lead.

The lead ballooned out to 44 points before West Coast finally kicked into action. The Eagles' ferocious tackling came to the fore as St Kilda struggled to adapt to the lifted intensity of the contest.

West Coast kicked six of the last seven goals of the third quarter - including one after the siren